What is Occupational Therapy?

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy (a.k.a. OT) is a holistic profession that helps people across all ages participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities, also known as “occupations”.* We use these occupations as both the intervention and outcome of therapy. Hence the name “occupational therapy”.

What, do you thinks is a kids primary childhood occupation? — PLAY! When it comes to occupational therapy in pediatrics, this means we OTs provide intervention by engaging kids in what they love to do most!

But, pediatric occupational therapists don’t just ‘play’. We provide individualized intervention to help kids improve their performance in everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, self-care, and learning, by addressing difficulties like fine motor, problem solving, attention, and sensory processing skills (to name a few).

We also take into account the effect of a task’s difficulty on the child’s performance, as well as the role of the physical and social environment.

Our practices are creative, scientific, and evidence-based. Our profession ensures we become masters of modification and expert task analyzers. We love what we do and are passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children, their families, and their communities.

Can you tell why this is my calling?

It is my hope that, as you continue the journey with us, you will gain even more insight into the incredibly powerful field of occupational therapy.